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Registo automóvel: putting the car in your name
The registration number is not the end. Ownership is registered separately, at another service, and there is a 60-day deadline on it.
By Gerardus Koetje · Updated on
Two registers, two services
In the Netherlands the RDW does everything in one go: the registration number and the owner's name. Portugal splits that. The IMT deals with the vehicle and the number. Who the owner is, is in another register, the Registo automóvel, kept by the IRN. So after the number you still have to have the car entered there in your name. The tax authority's official list of steps names it as the last step: go to a Conservatória do Registo Automóvel to register the vehicle.
The deadline
Registration has a legal deadline of 60 days.
How to do it
There are two ways:
- Online. The Portuguese government's vehicle registration service has a separate request for the initial registration of a vehicle (registo inicial de veículo automóvel). You can also follow the status of your request there.
- At the desk. At an IRN Conservatória do Registo Automóvel.
A lawyer, notary or solicitador can file the registration for you. That is useful when documents have to be scanned and certified, or when you do not speak the language.
Exactly which documents the IRN asks for in your case and what the registration costs is not on the government page we checked. Ask the conservatória before you go. We would in any case bring the DAV with the registration number, your ID and your NIF.
From our own experience: this is the step you forget
We imported our own car, a Dutch Citroën Berlingo, ourselves. The declaration, the homologation, the inspection and the registration number: all done ourselves. And then forgot the last step. The car was driving on a Portuguese number and was insured, but the ownership registration at the IRN had not been done. We are now having a solicitadora put that right.
It is an understandable mistake. After the registration number the route feels finished: the plates are on, the insurance is running. Nobody sends you a reminder. So put the registration in your calendar on the day the number appears on your DAV.
What comes after
With the registration the car is fully Portuguese. What remains is the annual tax: Paying IUC.
Frequently asked questions
Am I done once I have the Portuguese registration number?
No, and this is the step that is forgotten most often. After the registration number you request the certificado de matrícula from the IMT and have the car registered in your name at the IRN; that has a legal deadline of 60 days. The first IUC follows after that. See Registration in your name.
Facts and sources on this page
Every highlighted value in the text comes from an official source that we read ourselves.
60 daysRegistering a vehicle in the owner's name (registo automóvel) has a legal deadline of 60 days. An initial registration can be filed online.
Source: Registar um automóvel (gov.pt, updated 27-04-2026) (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado) · Checked on
Guide: Importing your car into Portugal
Do it yourself, in the right order
The pages on this site explain the rules. The guide is the workbook: what to do in which week, which papers to take to which office, where to click in the Portal das Finanças and what to do when an application is rejected.